^ * 




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Book ...I.O.G 



Author . 



Title 



Imprint. 



16 — 17372-1 OPO 



Third Series 



Bulletin No. 4 



THE INSTITUTE OF 
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION 



A REPORT ON EDUCATION IN CHINA 

(For American Educational Authorities) 

By 

Paul Monroe, Ph.D. 




DIRECTOR, FAR EASTERN BUREAU OF THE I ^VlfiBii ai li i 
INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL 
EDUCATION 




NEW YORK 
OCTOBER 20, 1922 



The Institute of International Education 

419 West 1 17th Street, New York 
Stephen P. Duggan, Ph.D. 

DIRECTOR 

Mary L. Waite 

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY 

Telephone: Morningside 8491 Cable Addreu: "Intered" 

ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD 

Herman V. Ames Paul Monroe 

L. H. Baekeland John Bassett Moore 

Marion Le Roy Burton Henry Moi:genthau 

Nicholas Murray Butler Dwight W. Morrow 

Stephen Pierce Duggan E. H. Outerbridge 

Dr. Walter B. James Henry S. Pritchett 

Harry Pratt Judson Aurelia H. Reinhardt 

Alice Duer Miller Anson Phelps Stokes 

BX7RBAU DIVISIONS 

Europe Stephen P. Duggan 

Far East Paul Monroe 

Latin America Peter H. Goldsmith 

Scholarships and Fellowships Viipnia Newcomb 

International Relations Clubs Margaret C. Alexander 



THE INSTITUTE OF 
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION 



A REPORT ON EDUCATION IN CHINA 
(For American Educational Authorities) 

By 

Paul Monroe, Ph.D. 

DIRECTOR, FAR EASTERN BUREAU OF THE 

INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL 

EDUCATION 




NEW YORK 
OCTOBER 20, 1922 



u 



3\ 



\^ 






FOREWORD 

Professors on sabbatical leave to whom the Institute has 
made grants to defray traveling expenses have made reports 
upon their observations while teaching in foreign institutions 
which have been most interesting and illuminating. The 
Administrative Board of the Institute, therefore, requested 
the Director at the meeting of the Board held on May 26th, 
1922, to compile excerpts from various reports and publish 
them in the form of a pamphlet for distribution particularly 
among college and university administrators. The report of 
Professor Paul Monroe upon educational conditions in China 
today is so valuable as a brief and yet thorough summary 
of those conditions that it has been thought best to publish 
it in full as a separate pamphlet. Professor Monroe had 
unusual opportunities for observation as he had been invited 
by the representatives of most of the government institutions 
of higher learning, the national and provincial educational 
administrative officers and by seventeen national or educa- 
tional Associations. One of the results of Professor Monroe's 
visit was the union of these various educational organizations 
and interests into the National Association for the Promotion 
of Education. The tables at the close of his presentation are 
of great value in giving statistical information about the 
Chinese institutions of higher education not usually available 
to the American educator. Indeed, the report is submitted 
in the confident belief that it will prove of real benefit to al) 
interested in the educational movements in China and the 
educational relations between China and the United States. 

Stephen P. Duggan 



A REPORT ON EDUCATION IN CHINA 
{For American Educational Authorities) 

When an educated Chinese is asked to indicate in what 
respect the civilization of China is superior to that of the 
West, he will invariably state that its chief merit lies in the 
esteem which is shown for learning in his country and in the 
position of influence and power which scholars and educated 
leaders possess. This may strike the Westerner as odd, as 
does the traditional claim of the culture of the East for 
superiority. But the belief must have some basis which is 
worthy of our attention. 

Whether these claims are accepted as valid or not, the study 
of Oriental education and an attempt to understand the 
transition which the cultural institutions of China are now 
undergoing, are worth while both because of their intrinsic 
interest and because of the significance of these changes for 
the West. This is not the place to give more than the merest 
sketch of the development of the ancient education and culture 
of the Chinese. It possesses an antiquity which is far greater 
than that of the institutions of the Western world ; it has been 
continuous and it is still flourishing. 

Early Chinese Education 

Educational institutions have a recorded history dating 
as fai back as 2300 B.C. Some accounts trace the records for 
five hundred years earlier, but these are probably legendary. 
There is authentic evidence for educational administration of 
public character and also for public educational institutions at 
the early date given. The records of no other country except 
Egypt antedate those of China; and what is most significant, 
this education is still a living influence and it has been con- 
tinuous. For generations Chinese education consisted chiefly 
of religious and moral teachings and training. The elements 
of music and gymnastics, as well as of literature, were early 



The Institute of International Education 



introduced, thus forming a close parallel to ancient Greek 
education. This ancient music was very different in character 
from the modern, if one may judge from the attempts to re- 
vive it which are now being made. Even the instruments in 
many cases appear strange to the modern Chinese. 

The period when Greek and Roman culture originated in 
the West was a flourishing period in the East. An elaborate 
educational system existed in China from the I2th to the 6th 
century, B.C. During this time Confucius and his disciples, 
chiefly Mencius, systematized the ancient learning and moral 
teachings into the classical writings which soon became the 
basis of the culture and of the social order of the Chinese. This 
classical literature furnished the substance of their formal 
education for many centuries. During this time also was 
perfected the examination system, which originated in the 
earlier period and survived until 1905. At first there was a 
test applied each three years to determine the fitness of those 
in office as well as of the prospective candidate for office. 

As with later systems of education in the West, a wide 
hiatus often developed between the actual needs of society 
and the content of this formal education. Especially was 
this true when the literary expression of their culture was 
elaborated through numerous commentaries. But as long as 
education was dominantly a moral training it preserved its 
vitality. 

In recent times, as China has come into direct contact with 
the West, the inadequacy of this ancient literary education 
became obvious to all. It ceased to be the test of ability or 
even of moral fitness for office that it once was. During the 
19th century, and even earlier, its significance declined and 
its formality increased. With direct contacts with the West 
it became wholly inadequate. 

Significance of the Present Period 

Granting the total inadequacy of Chinese literary educa- 
tion, this fundamental problem still challenges attention. To 
what extent must the modern culture of China be based upon 
and include elements of its ancient culture, and hence to what 



A Report on Education in China 



extent must the traditional education forma part of the mod- 
ern? In considering this problem one must remember that an 
understanding of this ancient literature and culture is de- 
pendent upon the mastery of a most complicated language. 

Several peoples of the West have the problem of a bi-lingual 
education. China has that of a bi-cultural education. 

Among the great questions which the nation is facing are: 

How much of the ancient culture should be preserved? 

How much of the Western culture should be added to it? 
Subordinate to these are the related problems: 

Can these two elements be given through the native lang- 
uage? 

Can they be united into a homogenous structure? 

Can the ancient language be simplified so as to make a 
general education of the masses of the people possible? 

These are the oustanding problems of the modern edu- 
cational endeavor. Neither objectives nor organization, 
neither method nor content of curriculum, have been satis- 
factorily determined; nor can they be determined without 
prolonged experimentation. Such experimentation is now 
going on. That this experimentation does not produce im- 
mediate solutions in western terms should not provoke 
undue criticism. 

The difficulty of the problem can be grasped only through 
an understanding of the social problem which China is now 
facing. The ancient structure of society persisted to this 
generation. In fact agricultural processes, as well as county 
and village life, are essentially those of ancient times. The 
industrial life of the towns and city is really mediaeval. The 
handicraft system, with its guild and apprentice organization, 
still prevails. 

But the modern factory system is being rapidly introduced. 
Better means of communication and modern scientific ideas 
are modifying the agriculture of the country. The ancient 
political system, democratic or genetic at base in the village 
life, and imperialistic in its general organization — is giving 
way to modern nationalistic forms. The feudal control of 
local military generals still forms a disturbing influence. The 



The Institute of International Education 



introduction of Western critical ideas is reproducing the 
phenomena of the Renaissance period of Western Europe. 
The introduction of Western religious ideas and forms is 
bringing about a religious reformation. 

Hence one or two generations in China must solve the 
problems of readjustment for which the Western world took 
several centuries to answer. The development of nationality, 
the introduction of modern science, with all its revolutionary 
ideas, the introduction of the modern industrial system based 
on mechanical power, a religious Reformation, are all taking 
place at the same time. The situation calls for patient under- 
standing by the West; for sympathetic tolerance, and for an 
attitude of helpfulness rather than one of exploitation. 

Commercial, industrial and political contacts have all had 
their educative value. For many years there have been 
direct educational contacts with the West. Of these the 
educational efforts of the missionary organization, beginning 
in 1835, are the oldest and the most significant and extensive. 
Foreign governments, especially the Japanese and the German, 
have also maintained a few modern schools. Many students 
have been sent to foreign lands. The contact of Chinese 
educators with the modern educational system of Japan, 
especially since the China-Japanese War of 1895, has also had 
profound influence. 

Transition to the Modern System 

The modern public educational system in China dates from 
1898, when the Emperor Kwang Hsu, under the influence of a 
group of reformers, issued his famous edicts. These included 
the modification of the old examination systems and the estab- 
lishment of a complete system of schools. While a number of 
schools were successfully established, a reactionary movement 
soon gained sway, resulting in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. 
Though the immediate effect of this reactionary movement was 
the abandonment of the modern schools, the Empress Dowager 
who had formerly headed the reactionary party, in a few years 
became an advocate of reform and of modern learning. In 
1901 she ordered that the provincial examination halls be 



A Report on Education in China 



turned into modern colleges. Other edicts established systems 
of middle schools in each prefecture, of primary schools in each 
district, of normal schools in each province. The combination 
of the new and the old did not work well, so in 1905, the old 
examination system was abolished. 

The Russo-Japanese War took place during this period. 
The success of the Japanese brought great prestige to Western 
learning among the Chinese. Large numbers of Chinese stu- 
dents had been going to Japan during these preceding years. 
After the war the number of such students in Japan at any 
given time increased to 15,000 or 20,000. 

Origin of the Present System 

The present system was actually established at the close of 
1905 when a Ministry of Education was created by edict. 
This was approved by the Imperial Throne in 1906. The 
Ministry was divided into five departments; namely, general 
supervision, technical or special education, publication, indus- 
trial education, and finance. These departments were divided 
into bureaus, the departments being in charge of the senior 
secretaries and the bureaus in charge of the junior secretaries. 
Besides the Minister of Education, also called President of 
the Ministry, there were two Vice Ministers, with numerous 
assistants and a few national inspectors of schools. The 
powers of the Ministry were large. It was to issue a code of 
educational laws, to appoint the twelve national inspectors, to 
nominate provincial commissioners of education; it was to 
have the power to remove any educational officer from office. 
In fact it had almost absolute control over the educational 
system. Many sets of regulations were drawn up, the most 
important dealing with the detailed organization of the na- 
tional school system and with its administration. In the 
provinces and in the smaller local areas, provision was made 
for provincial and local inspectors and for provincial and local 
boards for the promotion of education. 

Much of this elaboration of an educational system was an 
ideal only, giving basis to the criticism frequently expressed, 
that it was merely a paper system. Yet these regulations 



lo The Institute of International Education 

formulated the standards and ideals towards which govern- 
ment and people have since been moving. 

Reorganization of Education with the 
Founding of the Republic 

Political revolution broke out in October 191 1. The pro- 
vincial republican government was organized January 9, 1912. 
Very shortly the new government issued a dispatch to the 
various provincial authorities indicating the policy of the 
republic towards schools. Fortunately the period of political 
disturbance was short, for in places much of the work accom- 
plished during the preceding six years was largely undone dur- 
ing these brief months. In those provinces where the political 
and military disturbances have been continued from time to 
time, educational development has been greatly retarded even 
to the present day. For instance in Kwangtung, which had 
been one of the most progressive regions educationally and 
politically, little progress was made in education from 1914- 
1920, because of the reactionary political forces in control 
under the military government. 

The most important educational changes recommended by 
the new government involved 

First. The alteration of the curriculum so as to encourage 
the spirit of democracy instead of that of reverence to the old 
Manchu authorities; 

Second. The enlargement of school facilities by the opening 
of large numbers of new schools, especially primary ones; 

Third. The increase of emphasis upon handicraft work 
and physical exercise ; 

Fourth. The introduction of coeducation in the primary 
schools ; 

Fifth. The elimination of the ancient classics from the 
lower schools. 

The following spring, when Yuan Shi Kai was elected presi- 
dent, a permanent ministry was formed ; a national conference 
on education made recommendation ; a revised scheme of edu- 
cation was adopted by the national assembly; and the new 
ordinances were issued by the president. A general advisory 



A Report on Education in China 1 1 

council to the Minister of Education was created. The num- 
ber of inspectors and inspectorial districts was increased. The 
Ministry was now divided into three bureaus; general educa- 
tion, technical and professional education, and social educa- 
tion. Under the first came all matters relating to primary 
schools, middle schools, kindergarten, and normal schools, and 
all questions relating to the selection and certification of teach- 
ers. The second bureau had charge of all affairs relating to 
universities, colleges and higher technical schools, as well as 
to all similar institutions of higher learning and to associations 
connected with them. The third bureau had charge of popular 
education, museums, public ceremonies and social activities. 

The Present Organization 

The organization of the system has remained in all essen- 
tial points in force to the present time. It is as follows: 

The lower primary school includes four years, carrying the 
child presumably through his seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth 
years (Chinese). Translated into our own method of treating 
the age of the individual, it comprises the sixth to ninth years 
of physical age and the first four years of our elementary 
school. Where it has been found possible to make school 
attendance obligatory, it is this period of the lower primary 
school which is compulsory. Following the lower primary is 
the three-year higher primary school, paralleled occasionally 
by a higher primary industrial school. Above the higher 
primary is the four-year middle school, paralleled occasionally 
by an industrial school with a course of the same length or 
shorter, and by the normal schools. As these normal schools 
frequently, if not usually, have a preparatory year, their pro- 
gram occupies the student from the fourteenth through the 
eighteenth year. To enter the higher schools from the middle 
schools requires usually one year of preparatory study. This 
is often extended into two, occasionally into three, years. 
The scientific technical school requires a two-year preparation. 
The law school and the university may require two years or 
the usual year for preparation. The higher normal school is 



12 The Institute of International Education 

presumed to take the student directly from the middle school, 
though frequently it also requires the one preparatory year. 

The National Government in Its 
Relation to Education 

From the Ministry of Education has emanated all of the 
various regulations which control to the minutest detail the 
operation of the local school systems. The curricula, methods 
of instruction, the forms of organization, the standards of 
inspection, have all been determined by the central office. 
This high degree of centralization is an evidence of the domi- 
nating influence of Japan, and through Japan, of the bureau- 
cratic continental educational systems of Europe. This highly 
centralized bureaucratic control differs in spirit, as well as 
in its practical features, from the system of education which 
prevailed in China before the introduction of the western sys- 
tem. Probably this highly developed and quite technical 
administrative scheme brought better and quicker results 
than would the introduction of the more democratic experi- 
mental or individualistic method familiar to Americans. 
Possibly also the form-appreciating Oriental accepted it more 
readily than he would the somewhat less technical and more 
individualistic method of attacking the problem which Amer- 
ican educators would have advocated. 

However, it is this feature of the system which in the suc- 
cessive years has come to arouse more and more adverse criti- 
cism from those working in the system. The national organ- 
ization of education did not require that the lower schools 
should be administered directly by the Ministry. Nor was 
it contemplated that the Ministry should support or directly 
control the local schools. However, it is the national office 
which has determined the curriculum in nearly all instances, 
and it is the National Ministry which appoints the supervisors 
and receives their reports. The Ministry appoints the various 
provincial commissioners of education. It directly controls 
the institutions of higher learning, that is, the universities, 
colleges, higher normal schools, and technical schools of the 
collegiate or the university grade. The administrative heads 



A Report on Education in China 



13 



of these institutions are appointetl by the central office and 
the funds for the support of the institution are allotted directly. 
These institutions are as follows: 



Peking Government University, 


Peking 


Peking Law College 


Peking 


Peking Medical College 


Peking 


Peking Polytechnic College 


Peking 


Peking Agricultural College 


Peking 


Peking Teachers College 


Peking 


Peking Women's College 


Peking 


School of Fine Arts 


Peking 


Southeastern University 


Nanking 


Wuchang Teachers College 


Wuchang, Hupei 


School of Commerce 


Wuchang, Hupei 


Chengtu Teachers College 


Chengtu, Szechuan 


Chengtu Medical College 


Chengtu, Szechuan 


Kwangtung Teachers College 


Canton, Kwangtung 


Fengtien Teachers College 


Fengtien 


Chinan Institute 


Nanking 


Peiyang University 


Tiensin 


Tungchi School of Medicine and 




Engineering 


Shanghai 


Shansi University and Agricultural 


Shansi 


College 




Shansi Law College 


Shansi 



To this list might be added the higher normal schools of 
the following provinces: Shantung, Honan, Hunan, and 
Kiangsi, At least, according to the last government reports, 
these are in operation as national institutions. 

It is difficult to formulate any lists of these higher institu- 
tions not open to criticism, since there are frequent changes in 
administration. It cannot be said that all of these institutions 
are of the same academic grade or that their product is of the 
same academic quality. Nominally admission to them is 
based upon the completion of the same middle-school program, 
plus at least one year of preparatory collegiate work. As a 
matter of fact there is a wide divergence in the quality of the 



14 The Institute of International Education 

middle-school work and a similar variation both in the length 
and in the quality of the preparatory work. That for the 
technical science schools is much more thorough than that 
for other institutions. 

In equating the work of these institutions with American 
standards, the character of the individual student as well as 
his knowledge of English must be taken into account as very 
important factors in the problem. This is particularly true 
in deaUng with the graduates of many of these institutions. 
The method of work is such that in some of them it is quite 
possible for a student to finish the course without having 
acquired sufficient knowledge or developed a sufficient ability 
to pursue advanced work. The situation is such that in many 
cases the degree conferred is of far less significance than the 
pass degree from European institutions. On the other hand, 
many of these graduates would be quite able to undertake the 
graduate work of American institutions. It would seem wise 
to base admission to candidacy for higher degrees in American 
institutions upon preliminary or trial records preceding full 
matriculation. Certainly the Chinese institutions, and prob- 
ably the students themselves, would seldom object to such a 
policy. 

Of this long list of twenty, the two most important institu- 
tions are the National University at Peking and the South- 
eastern University at Nanking. The National University 
had an attendance in 1920-21 of about 2000 students; after a 
prolonged strike which stopped the work of the university 
for some months, and a subsequent financial difficulty which 
led to a delay in the payment of salaries for several additional 
months, the interest and spirit of the institution were quite 
undermined. For the spring months of 1921, the institution 
was closed ; when it opened in the fall the student attendance 
had been reduced to about 800. The enrollment gradually 
increased and it was hoped that the normal attendance of 
2000 would be approximated before the close of the academic 
year 1921-22. The military disturbances in this vicinity 
rendered these hopes vain. 

The work of the National University is limited chiefly to 



A Report on Education in China 15 



the field of philosophy, art and science; law, medicine, en- 
gineering, and agriculture are represented by separate institu- 
tions in Peking. There is a movement to amalgamate these 
into one institution, but since the student bodies are quite 
large and the plants are far apart, their independent existence 
is preferred for the present. The faculty and the student 
body of the University probably exert more influence upon the 
thought life and the literary activity of the people than do 
those of any other institution. This is largely due to the 
personality of the Chancellor, Tsai Yuan Pei who has mastered 
the old learning to the highest degree and is also sympathetic 
to western learning and well versed in it. 

The Southeastern University was organized in 1920 on the 
basis of the Nanking Teachers College, which had been in 
existence since 1916 and was the largest of the higher normal 
schools. Here also had developed a small School of Engineer- 
ing and a strong College of Agriculture. These three were 
combined to form the university. The student attendance in 
1921-22 had grown to 647, of which the majority were students 
in Teachers College. Consequently this group of students 
rather dominates the interests and the life of the university. Of 
the faculty of 200 (32 part time) more than 50 per cent have 
had their regular professional training in America. Since the 
faculty in Peking was constituted chiefly of those who have 
had their higher professional training in Japan and is con- 
sequently influenced by European ideals, the two institutions 
represent in a popular way the American and the European 
university ideals. This contrast is strengthened by the fact 
that Peking emphasizes the philosophical and literary in- 
terests, while the work at Nanking is chiefly directed to pro- 
fessional education. 

While the Southeastern University is nominally supported, 
as are the other higher institutions, directly by the Ministry 
of Education, in reality the budgetary allowance has been 
advanced during the past few years by the local provincial 
government, upon the approval of the national government. 
Consequently since the national government has had only 
limited funds at its disposal during this period, the work of 



1 6 The Institute of International Education 

the Southeastern University has expanded through local or 
provincial support. 

The Higher Normal Colleges 
Of these twenty government institutions it will be seen 
that seven are higher normal schools. In the older list there 
were five additional higher normal schools, as the original plan 
was to establish one in each province. Subsequently this was 
found to be a more elaborate plan than was justified at the 
present stage of development. These higher normal schools 
offer a curriculum which to a large extent is identical with that 
of an arts college. However, interest is focussed on the prob- 
lems of teaching and the students are definitely trained for 
professional activity along this line. These schools are among 
the most effective and influential of the higher educational 
institutions of China. Attendance is usually quite large, 
500 or over. They have met one of the most immediate 
professional needs of modern China. Without their develop- 
ment and that of the lower normal schools, it would have been ■ 
quite impossible for China to make the rapid educational and 
social advance of the past generation. 

However, it is quite dilificult to rate these institutions in 
terms of American colleges and universities. In the number of 
years covered, their course is identical with that of the Ameri- 
can college. Two important considerations enter into such a 
comparison and reduce the quantity of work covered and of 
knowledge acquired, if measured in terms of western science, 
below the standards of American colleges. The first of these 
is the fact that throughout the educational system a large 
place must be made, and rightly made, for Chinese language 
and literature. So difficult is the language because of its ideo- 
graphic character that its mastery requires more time than 
does the study of the vernacular in any other country. The 
second of these difficulties is the meagre result of the middle 
school education. This is partly due to the lecture method of 
instruction, which is in vogue universally, and partly to the 
fact that the environment of the student at home or at school 
does not supplement the work of instruction in the modern 
subjects as it does in western lands. 



A Report on Education in China 17 

In admitting students from these institutions into American 
colleges and universities, it may be taken for granted that 
graduates are sufficiently trained in their technical subjects to 
do advanced work. Whether this preparation is sufficiently ex- 
tensive to entitle them to candidacy for degrees depends, as 
said above, upon other factors; namely, their knowledge of 
English and Western literature, arts and science. 

Other Technical Schools 

The other technical schools, including the colleges of law, 
medicine, agriculture, commerce, and engineering, vary even 
more widely in character than do the higher normal schools. 
This variation occurs not only from subject to subject and 
from school to school, but from year to year as administrative 
authorities and standards are changed. There is a general 
and constant tendency towards improvement, though it may 
be slow and suffer occasional relapse. 

The foundation is being laid for excellent work in scientific 
agriculture. Administrative machinery has not been worked 
out to carrying the results of the investigations and instruc- 
tion into the actual life of the farming population, but many 
of the young men who are doing this work have an accurate 
conception of the problem. The work of the technical college 
varies more widely, but excellent foundations are laid here in 
many lines. The defects everywhere are limitations in build- 
ing; in laboratory equipment, which restrict the facilities for 
conducting scientific work; limitations in gas and water supply, 
the supply of chemicals, and of physical apparatus; above all, 
the absence of mechanical features in the home environment, 
and of scientific elements in the thought environment. Con- 
sequently, here, as elsewhere, the student applying for ad- 
mission to American institutions must be judged on the basis 
of what he can do rather than on mere academic credentials. 

Other Government Institutions 
In making a survey of the Chinese educational system, 
particularly of the higher institutions, account must be taken 
of the fact that a number of such institutions exist outside the 
control of the Ministry of Education. 



The Institute of International Education 



The most famous of these is Tsing Hua College, under the 
control of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and supported out of 
funds released by the American government from the Boxer 
Indemnity. At the time of the settlement of these Boxer 
troubles, the American government reduced the indemnity al- 
lowed her nationals about 40 per cent. The Chinese authorities 
dedicated the funds thus released to the establishment of an 
institution for training students to enter American colleges, 
and also for the support of these graduates while pursuing 
their work in America. These funds are due from the various 
provinces and each province has the privilege of sending stu- 
dents to its share of the financial obligations. This college has 
been in operation now for about thirteen years. It offers a 
course of study eight years in length, which corresponds in 
its administrative divisions neither to the American nor to the 
Chinese system. The eight years are divided into a prepara- 
tory school, a middle school and a college. According to the 
claims of Tsing Hua authorities the college offered until 1921, 
a course equivalent to the end of the freshman year of a 
standard American college. Another collegiate year was 
added at this time, so that graduates of 1921-22 have com- 
pleted work which would correspond to the end of the sopho- 
more year of our American colleges maintaining the highest 
standards. During the present year this additional year's 
course has been withdrawn. The fact that the students of 
Tsing Hua have been admitted into every year of the American 
college course in various institutions, and even to graduate 
standing in some, indicates that the work of this institution 
has been well done. The question which is now disturbing 
the authorities and the student bodies at Tsing Hua is whether 
their courses are sufficiently developed to prepare for pro- 
fessional work in American institutions; in other words, 
whether they should give one year, or more, of preparatory 
collegiate work for engineering or for agriculture. The 
graduates of Tsing Hua are sent to America usually on a five- 
year scholarship. Within that time the student is able to 
obtain the Baccalaureate degree and his Ph.D. With the 
course of study organized as it is at present, the student in 



A Report on Education in China 19 

engineering does not have the same advantage; that is, he is 
able to obtain but little beyond his first technical degree. A 
majority of the students from Tsing Hua are taking up pro- 
fessional lines of scientific work. They hold that this situa- 
tion is unjust and that at least one pre-vocational year if not 
two, should be given in engineering, so as to enable the Tsing 
Hua graduate to take an advanced degree in technical lines 
without his five-year period in the United States. The Board 
of Directors have voted to establish such a preparatory course 
for the engineering students. This is being carried out now 
in part. 

An understanding of this situation will enable American 
educational authorities to adjust the graduates of Tsing Hua to 
the work of American institutions so as to obtain the greatest 
profit and probably to avoid some of the maladjustments 
that have occurred in the past. 

The Ministry of Communications has in the past supported 
four technical institutions and one middle school, all of very 
excellent character. During the past year these four tech- 
nical institutions have been united into one university — the 
University of Communications, This has a college, mechan- 
ical and civil, at Tanshan; a college of electrical, mechanical 
and mining engineering at Shanghai; an engineering college 
of several schools at Peking; and a college for telegraphers, 
postal clerks and civil service in similar lines, also at Peking. 
Work in these colleges prepares directly for technical service 
in the various lines of government employment, railways, 
postal clerks, telegraph service, radio service; and in various 
lines of conservation work connected chiefly with railroads 
and canals. 

In a similar way the customs service has a school for training 
its own technical staff, as does also the postal service and the 
Salt Gabelle. The graduates of these institutions, however, 
seldom come to America, so they do not raise the difficulty 
of equating with American standards. 

Government Middle Schools 
The middle schools of the government system correspond 
approximately to the American high schools. They are based 



20 The Institute of International Education 

on a seven-year elementary school program, with occasionally 
one year preparatory. While the subjects of study in the 
Western curriculum are similar to those of the American High 
School, yet until the present it has been a fixed curriculum 
permitting no electives, and, consequently, much more rigid 
than the Western curricula. Moreover, the course has had 
to include the native curriculum of language and literature, 
so that the student has had neither the time nor the facilities 
for mastering all of the subjects of the western curriculum to 
the extent that an American student is supposed to do. To 
the difficulty of this double program must be added the fact 
that much of the western science must be studied in English 
or other foreign tongue, since there is a wholly inadequate 
Chinese literature in any one of these subjects. One result of 
this situation is that the student carries an extraordinarily 
heavy program. In practically all cases it runs as high as 32 
hours, quite commonly to 36, and occasionally to 38 hours 
per week of class room instruction. This would be quite im- 
possible were it not for the fact that nearly all of the schools 
are boarding schools and that there is a small amount of 
preparatory study for recitation. In fact, library materials 
are seldom depended upon for any assistance in the actual 
class room work, for little available literature exists. On the 
other hand, the students quite generally have as wide an in- 
terest in current events, in political and social questions, as do 
students in our own schools, and keep as well in touch with 
what goes on in the outside world. This is done largely 
through the newspapers and magazines, chiefly vernacular, 
which the libraries are able to furnish, and also through the 
bulletin board newspaper, which is prepared by a student 
committee in many if not most of these schools. These 
middle schools are the most numerous and the most popular 
schools in China. 

By the statistics of 191 8, schools of this type numbered 
between 400 and 500, but at the present time they are probably 
more numerous. Their support comes largely from provincial 
sources. Occasionally there is a combination of provincial 
funds with those drawn from the district and the county. 



A Report on Education in China 21 

Quite frequently these are supplemented by private funds. In 
the government publications, the schools of the latter type 
are usually called public schools, distinguishing them from the 
national schools, supported by the central government; from 
the local elementary schools, supported by the smaller govern- 
ment units; and from the private schools in general. One of 
the greatest problems in the middle school is that there are 
very few such schools for girls; consequently the problem of 
co-education, especially in the middle schools, has been, and is, 
receiving extraordinary attention. Neither the educational 
authorities nor the public are quite convinced that there 
should be cooperation in the middle schools. On the other 
hand, there are very few schools existing for girls and the funds 
available for the schools now in operation are quite inadequate. 

Next to the question of co-education, that of the curriculum 
furnishes the outstanding problem of the middle schools. On 
this subject also there has been much agitation. As a result, 
three national conferences have been called recently, each of 
them recommending the introduction of greater flexibility in 
the organization and the administration of the secondary 
school. This phase of the matter will be treated more fully 
in a subsequent paragraph. 

To an American educator the greatest difference between 
Chinese schools and the schools at home lies in the type of 
method dominating all instruction in the Chinese middle 
schools. So marked is the limitation this puts upon the char- 
acter and the product of the work, that it appears to be the 
most fundamental problem of all. The student participates 
but slightly in any instruction process. For the most part 
he listens to lectures and takes notes supplementing the out- 
line of the lecture course which has already been furnished him 
by his instructor. One of the inost important qualifications 
of an instructor is the ability to write out a somewhat elaborate 
syllabus of his course of lectures, which must serve as a text- 
book for the student. This when annotated constitutes about 
all that the student has read or studied and about all that he 
will have to refer to on this subject. This custom grew up 
partly from the dearth of Chinese books on western subjects, 



22 The Institute of International Education 

partly from the inability of the rank and file of the students 
to use a foreign language to acquire this subject matter, and 
partly from the fact that the method in not quite so extreme a 
form was prevalent in Japanese schools and in the Continental 
European schools which had in turn influenced the Japanese. 
Consequently, much of the work of the middle school is little 
better than the memoriter work of the old-type school devoted 
to the classics. 

To break down this dominance of the old methods and 
traditions is one of the hardest tasks of the modern educator. 
The task is the more difficult because so many of the educa- 
tional administrators themselves know no other method and 
consider education to be merely the acquisition of information 
or the memorizing of terms. 

The Natural Sciences 

The chief difificulty in the work of the middle schools lies 
in the teaching of natural sciences. What has just been said 
concerning the methods in use would indicate the reason for 
this. So long as the teacher merely lectures and the student 
merely memorizes his notes, no great results in the study of 
natural sciences can be expected. While most of the middle 
schools have some experimental apparatus, this is frequently 
not used at all; less frequently is used for demonstration only; 
and only rarely is used by the student for laboratory experi- 
mentation. Some few schools are marked exceptions and 
what has been said does not apply to them. Many more 
schools make a commendable effort but are greatly handi- 
capped by lack of facilities. The great mass of them make 
no attempt at anything but text-book or lecture presentations. 
When one recalls that the school work in China traditionally 
meant only the study of language and literature, and when one 
observes how little of applied science enters into the social 
background of students, one can understand how difficult it 
is for the schools to overcome these handicaps. 

On the other hand it is obvious that the great social need of 
China at the present time is the application of modern science 
to the solution of her problems of industry, communication, 



A Report on Education in China 23 

transportation, sanitation and hygiene, and that the great 
need in the intellectual life of the Chinese is the introduction 
of the scientific mind to modify the philosophical, speculative 
and theoretical attitude towards the problems and activities 
of every-day life. Upon Chinese mastery of sciences through 
the modern school, depends the degree to which the exploita- 
tion of her resources and of her territory by foreigners can be 
limited. Consequently from every point of view, both educa- 
tional and practical, the improvement of the teaching of 
natural sciences is a fundamental need. 

What is said of the sciences in the middle schools is true of 
sciences in the normal colleges, universities and even technical 
schools. It must be recognized that in many schools of these 
grades excellent work is being done, but seldom does it come 
up to our western standards. On the other hand, most of it is 
poor, even when the instructor from his western training has a 
knowledge of what is proper. Sometimes this is due to lack 
of equipment, lack of gas, lack of water supply, lack of chem- 
icals, but more often due to the inertia of the situation. 
One too frequently finds technical schools where surveying 
is taught only in the classroom, or where the analysis of soils 
is by lecture methods only. 

Yet it must be recognized that there is a steady improve- 
ment; that the existence of these schools has not extended 
beyond ten, or at most, twenty years; that there is a steady 
increase in the number of foreign-trained science teachers; 
that there is a rapid development in the application of science 
to industry, agriculture, and transportation; and that this 
widening contact with modern life is rapidly producing a 
change in the popular attitude towards science. 

Technical Schools of the Middle-School Grade. 

There are numerous technical schools of thd grade of middle 
schools, supported usually from provincial funds. These vary 
widely in character as well as in quality. There are schools 
which are rudimentary technical schools; more frequently 
there are trade schools. In this latter field there have been 
numerous experiments, but as yet very little adjustment. 



24 The Institute of International Education 

The most numerous of these elementary technical schools 
are the agricultural middle schools. In some of these fair 
work is being done. The difficulty lies in the social sit- 
uation rather than in the schools. Where the farms are 
so small and the standard of living is so low that there is 
no economic justification for the training of the actual farmer 
in the middle school, the graduates of these schools cannot 
afford to go back to farming. On the other hand, they are 
not sufficiently well trained to go into the experimental station 
work which is being widely developed, and which is absorbing 
a large proportion of the graduates of the agricultural col- 
leges. Nor are there the opportunities for the graduates of 
these elementary agricultural schools in industry and business, 
such as exist in America. Vitality might be given to this 
type of schools by turning them into training schools for 
rural teachers and supervisors. This, however, has not yet 
been attempted. 

The Lower Normal Schools 

One of the best features of the Chinese educational system 
is the lower normal school. The early educational reformers 
were very wise in laying chief stress upon this type of school, 
recognizing that the successful development of a modern school 
system depends upon the trained teacher. These schools are 
quite numerous; they exist in every province and are sup- 
ported by the local authorities. 189 of these schools, with about 
30,000 pupils are reported in the latest official figures, which 
were for the year 191 8. The substance of the first two years 
of their course is largely that of the middle schools; a large 
portion of the last two years is devoted to professional study 
and training. All of these schools which the writer visited have 
a practice school in connection with them, usually a very excel- 
lent one. The pupil teachers are required to do much ob- 
servation and a considerable amount of practice teaching; 
both of these are done under supervision and are followed 
by personal criticism and class discussion. Frequently each 
group of children in the practice schools is organized into the 
four grades of the lower primary, so that a pupil teacher in 



A Report on Education in China 25 

handling a room is working under the same conditions that 
he will find in the four-grade lower primary schools of the town 
and rural villages. There are many phases of this work which 
are excellent, and which compare favorably with similar 
work in our own and in other countries. Even the teaching of 
natural sciences is better in these schools than elsewhere. 
More laboratory work is attempted; naturally the teachers 
are more interested in the method of presentation; and they 
are more familiar with educational theory. 

The Elementary Schools 

The elementary schools consist of lower primary of four 
grades or years, and a higher primary of three grades or years. 
Owing to the excellence of the work of the lower normal 
schools just cited, the average standard of the elementary 
school is better than that of the higher schools. Some of these 
in the cities where special attention has been given to them, 
such as in Peking, Tientsin, Shanghai, are very good indeed. 
Even smaller cities, such as Wushi had som.e excellent public 
elementary schools. While the equipment is inferior for the 
most part, and the sanitary conditions are much below those 
of our western schools, yet in their educational spirit and pro- 
cedure these institutions compare very favorably wdth our 
own. Naturally there is a wide divergence both in the charac- 
ter of the schools and in the quality of the teachers; but occa- 
sionally, as in any country, one will find the rare teacher who 
is a genius, and whose work, according to modern ideas of pro- 
cedure, is that of an expert. In comparison with our own 
schools it must be remembered that practically all of these 
teachers are trained teachers, graduates of a four-year normal 
school. Consequently the average of the professional work 
of the teacher is high. In some regions where they are at- 
tempting to impose universal attendance, teachers from a two- 
year normal course are being used. In other regions the more 
progressive teachers of the old-time schools are being given 
a brief training in service which will enable them gradually to 
transmute their old-fashioned schools into modern ones. 
Compulsory attendance and universal education, however, 



26 The Institute of International Education 

are not the greatest needs of China at present. With a po- 
tential school population of 100,000,000, China is yet a long 
way off from this stage. What is needed is universal oppor- 
tunity for schooling, and this is rapidly being attained. The 
latest statistics (191 8) indicate about 130,000 elementary 
schools with over 4,000,000 pupils in attendance. 

Private Schools 

Notwithstanding this rapid development of modern schools, 
and of both official and popular disapproval of the traditional 
literary education, schools of the old type still prevail. It was 
a great surprise to discover that in large cities, such as Nan- 
king and Canton, there is a preponderance of the old time 
primary schools, both in numbers and in pupil attendance. 
This fact indicates that the masses of the people still believe 
schools of the old type are more efficient than the modern 
schools. However, so far as I could discover, the old-time 
school of middle and higher grades — the old-time academy — 
which has had such influence and prestige, has entirely dis- 
appeared. 

There are, however, many private schools of the modern 
type. In fact it was a distinct surprise to find that in almost 
every large community a school under private auspices was 
probably the best school in the community. The philan- 
thropic interest displayed by the supporters of these schools 
and the philanthropic and professional interest of their teach- 
ers was quite remarkable. In many cases the head of the 
school was practically giving his time. In some instances the 
entire staff were asking no more than a bare subsistence. I 
recall one case, an industrial school in Foochow, where the 
teaching staff were asking only funds to cover their daily 
transportation charges. 

The places where local philanthropists were supporting a 
school were quite numerous. In most of these cases the gifts 
were small, according to western standards; in many cases 
they were supplemented by the local government. Under 
the latter conditions the schools ordinarily were called "public 
schools," since although they were under private control thev 



A Report on Education in China 27 



were not operated for profit and they received some support 
from public sources. 

The most striking example of educational philanthropy is 
the new University of Amoy. Mr. Tan Ka Kee gave a million 
dollars, practically all of his fortune, to found the new uni- 
versity and its preparatory schools. No tuition is charged 
and there are no fees for lodging. As to food, the student 
pays only the actual cost. A student attendance of over 2000 
has been built up within the two years of the existence of the 
new university; the benefactor, a rubber merchant of the 
Straits Settlements, made his fortune during the war, but has 
returned to live in the little hut of his father in his ancestral 
village, a little group of fishermen's dwellings a few miles from 
Amoy. Here a middle school, industrial school, and the nor- 
mal school preparatory to the university, are located. This 
institution is under the direction of Dr. Ling Mun-King who is 
a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, and a physician of 
distinction. 

Private schools of these various types are making a marked 
contribution to the educational development of China. They 
offer a freedom of experiment which is impossible for the 
government schools. They call for and receive the interested 
support of the community. They enlist the professional en- 
thusiasm and devotion of the teaching staff and of their 
administrative officers in a way that is quite significant. It 
would be quite unfortunate if the standardization of educa- 
tional procedure through government control should result 
in the domination of these enthusiasms by a bureaucratic 
procedure. 

Mission Education 

One of the most significant influences in the development 
of modern education in China has been that exerted through 
the schools supported by the various missions, both Protestant 
and Roman Catholic. The modern educational work of 
missions began nearly a century ago, or, to be accurate, in 
1839. Out of this has grown an extensive system. The 
Protestant forces in China support about 6890 primary schools. 



28 The Institute of International Education 

in which 1200 foreign teachers and 11,000 native teachers are 
engaged, with an attendance of 150,000 pupils in the lower 
primary, 33,000 in the higher primary. There are 15,000 
students in the middle schools, 600 in teacher training schools, 
and 2000 in colleges and professional schools. This gives a 
total student population in the protestant schools of 205,000. 
The Roman Catholic church has 3000 schools with a total 
student population of 144,000. It also maintains 61 institu- 
tions which are designated colleges, but this term is used in 
the European sense since these schools are chiefly of the middle 
school character. However, there are a few institutions in 
this group whose work is of advanced grade and high character. 
With the exception of the theological seminaries, with their 
600 students, it is difficult to classify these institutions from 
the statistical data which are furnished. 

Of chief significance to American educators are the sixteen 
institutions of collegiate or university grade, maintained for 
the most part by the American Protestant missionary forces. 
It is from these institutions that a large proportion of the 
Chinese students in America have graduated, and an even 
larger proportion received their earlier training. Practically 
all these schools were established by denominational boards or 
societies. Partly as a result of the Boxer movement, partially 
owing to the growing cooperative spirit, a number of institu- 
tions of interdenominational character have recently de- 
veloped. The tendency towards union of effort is now domi- 
nant, with the result that higher educational ideals are 
maintained and more efficient and economic administration is 
secured, while a beneficient influence is exerted on all educa- 
tional endeavor. A number of these institutions have been 
chartered by educational authorities in America, four of them 
by the Regents of the State of New York. So important are 
these that a full statement of the number of faculty members, 
the size of the student body, the value of the property, and 
the annual budget, is appended. 

These institutions all belong to a collegiate organization 
which endeavors to maintain standards and to determine 
questions of educational policy. But though the standards in 



A Report on Education in China 29 

all of them are nominally the same, yet there is quite a varia- 
tion in the character of the work done, as well as in the char- 
acter of the product. Some of these schools have the ad- 
vantage of long experience, and of social and professional pres- 
tige. Some are better equipped than others. Those having 
a larger proportion of American teachers on the staff naturally 
do work more nearly in accord with American standards. 
Those that have a larger budgetary allowance naturally do 
better work. While some have prided themselv^es on the 
economy of their expenditure, having standards of expense 
which would be unbelievably low in America, others have a 
budget which gives a cost per student comparable with the 
average cost in American institutions, provided no allowance 
is made for difference in the value of the monetary unit. 
Tables given in the appendix, indicate the institutions and 
their location, the nature and size of the teaching body, the 
student attendance, and related information. 

Educational Reforms and the "Student Movement" 

Interest in education is wide-spread in China; so also is a 
belief in the efficacy of education as a means of solving the 
many social, moral and political problems of the nation. 
This faith is so unqualified as to be somewhat disconcerting to 
a foreigner. Professional interest on the part of the teacher 
is keen; the interest of the modern press in education is wide- 
spread and sustained. Owing to these various factors, move- 
ments of reform through education, and reform movements in 
the schools are numerous. \ 

Among the chief reforms advocated by three recent national 
educational conventions was that of a reorganization of the 
public school system. The plan finally recommended is that 
given in the appendix. The essential feature is the expansion 
of the middle school course of study from four to six years 
by the inclusion of the last year of the higher primary school 
and the usual preparatory year of the college or technical 
school. Thus the school system becomes six year elementary, 
of which four may still be continued as the lower primary, 
and two the higher primary; three year junior middle school; 



30 The Institute of International Education 

three year senior middle school, the latter leading either to the 
Junior College or to technical or professional schools. 

The essential purpose of this reorganization is to give suf- 
ficient length of time in the middle school for the mastery of 
languages, mathematics and sciences, necessary as tools for 
higher technical and professional work. 

Many of these reforms express themselves through organiza- 
tions. Voluntary organization is an important factor in the 
life of the Chinese and its use has the approval of tradition. 
With merely passive resistance as a means it is quite possible, 
even on slight notice, to produce a loose organization which can 
exert great influence. The student body, with its greater in- 
formation and its traditional prestige, easily leads in such 
organized movements of public opinions. Consequently, the 
so-called "student movement" becomes one of the most 
interesting and significant phenomenon of modern Chinese life. 

The student body, through voluntary organization, and 
demonstration, through public addresses and agitation, 
through publications, has come to exercise real power. Its 
opposition has overthrown a ministry; its criticism exercises a 
restraining power on selfish politicians; its publications are 
leading factors in the formation of public opinion and in 
stimulating the discussion of all sorts of questions, political, 
social and intellectual. 

The influence of the student opinion in school life is pro- 
found, and has both good and evil effects. Government by 
the students themselves in all types of schools from university 
to primary, has been carried much further than in this country, 
and this, be it remembered, with an experience of only ten 
years or slightly more. Practically every school has a school 
store, run by the students; in many instances the students 
conduct a newspaper or bulletin boards; they control student 
life in class room, in dormitories, on play grounds and in 
leisure hours; occasionally they control the commissary 
department of the school. In rare instances, as in some nor- 
mal schools, they send representatives or observers to the 
the faculty meetings, and in some cases they have, representa- 
tives on the curriculum committee. 

Frequently, through more formal means, students elect or 



A Report on Education in China 31 

reject subjects of study; they force the resignation of an un- 
popular teacher; occasionally they control the appointments 
or force the resignation even of the head of a school. The 
exercise of all these powers is fraught with danger. The evils 
are obvious, but no one has yet found a way to control this new 
force. 

On the other hand, the power of the student movement for 
good is very great. It maintains the prestige of the in- 
tellectual leader and at the same time ties up the new learning 
with the course of social progress in a way helpful to both. 
Properly guided, the student movement may become one of 
the great regenerative forces of modern times. It needs to 
develop control and a clearer consciousness of its social aims 
and its social responsibilities. It needs to distinguish between 
liberty and license, between democracy and irresponsible in- 
dividualism. If the student movement should concern itself 
with an understanding of the present political situation in 
China, should determine to make known the selfish exploita- 
tions by the unfaithful public officials and unscrupulous 
politicians, and should endeavor though this publicity to hold 
such men up to higher standards of political obligation, it 
might become the redeeming force for modern China. 

Educational Associations 

Most of these educational reforms are carried on through 
special group organization. A few of these are national in 
scope; a few relate to special phases of education. But most 
of them are provincial. 

In addition to these, each province has a Provincial Educa- 
tional Association of a semi-official character. The member- 
ship in these organizations is voluntary, but most of the 
prominent officials in the public school system belong to 
them. The provincial governments usually allot certain 
sums to these organizations. Some of the provincial associa- 
tions use their funds for publication or for the holding of con- 
ferences. Their chief value to date is in maintaining esprit de 
corps among the administrators of the government schools. 
There are great possibilities in the development in their func- 
tions and in the assumption of a more pronounced leadership. 



32 The Institute of International Education 

One of the greatest services they could render would be in the 
direction of the training of the teachers in service, to which 
little attention is given at present. 

All of the voluntary associations of national scope, and more 
than fifty local associations or institutions of higher and 
technical education recently joined in the fo^nation of a new 
organization entitled "The National Association for the Pro- 
motion of Education". This organization was formed in 
December, 192 1, following two national conferences, one of 
them held in Canton in October, the other held in Peking in 
December. Fifteen of the twenty-two provinces were repre- 
sented, including the provinces in the northern, central and 
southern portions "of China. In other words, there is no 
sectional division whatever in educational affairs; that the 
remaining provinces were not represented was due chiefly to 
their remoteness. 

In July, 1922, another national conference was held under 
the auspices of this association, in which nineteen provinces 
were represented by 366 delegates. This conference met in 
Tsinan-fu, the capital of Shantung. 

The directors of this organization are as follows : 

Chang Po-ling President Nankai School, Tientsin, China 

Li Kien-fen Ex Minister of Education 

Hsiung Hsi-Ung Ex Premier 

Fan Yuan-lien Ex Minister of Education 

Tsai Yuan-pei Chancellor National University, Peking 

Yuan Hsi-tao President Kiangsu Association 

P. W. Kuo President Southeastern University 

Hwang Yen-pei Vice President, Kiangsu Educational Association 

Wang Chao-ming President, Kwangtung Educational Association 

Li Chien-Hsun President, Peking Higher Normal College 

Chang, Yi-lin 

Honorary Trustees : 

Liang Chi-chao Publicist 

Yen Hsiu Ex Minister of Education 

Chang Yi-lin 

John Dewey Columbia University 

Paul Monroe Teachers College, Columbia University 

Attitude Towards Foreign Education and Educators 

One result of the wide social interest in education and of 

the educational endeavors put forth in the past few years, is 



A Report on Education in China 33 



the interest shown in the educational experience of other 
lands, and a friendliness towards foreign educators which is 
but an index of the general open-mindcdness on educational 
questions. In few countries is such interest more marked 
and no country is learning more quickly from the experience 
of others. Consequently, the leaders of this great educational 
and intellectual transition, which is comparable to the Renais- 
sance period of Europe, deserve all the help which foreign 
educators can give them. 

Chinese students in American institutions, whatever their 
special subject of study may be, should have all the assistance 
we can give them, especially in the application of modern 
ideas to the problems of life. Visiting Chinese educators 
deserve the most hospitable welcome by our school authori- 
ties. It is gratifying to note that these foreign visitors realize 
that they do receive such welcome. Furthermore, the entire 
situation is worthy of the interest and careful study of Ameri- 
can educators as fraught with great importance for our future 
as well as that of China. 

The following tabular statements are draw^n from the in- 
formation gathered by the National Association for the Pro- 
motion of Education and from "The Christian Occupation of 
China," recently issued by the China Continuation Com- 
mittee. 

The statistical information is fragmentary; it may not 
always be reliable, but it is the best available and at least is 
indicative. That concerning government institutions is from 
the year 1918, or earlier. From private institutions it is 
almost impossible to obtain recent or reliable information. 
In all of them conditions may change quite rapidly. But it 
is hoped that this information may be sufficient to guide those 
charged with the administration of American educational 
institutions to a fair estimate of the academic qualifications of 
Chinese students and to a more helpful consideration of their 

problems. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Paul Monroe, 

Director, Far Eastern Bureau of the Institute 
of International Education. 



34 



The Institute oj International Education 



Budget 



TABLE I 

Chinese Government Institutions of Collegiate Grade Under the 
Ministry of Education 

No. 
Place Name in full Students 

Peking National University 1943 

Tientsin Tientsin University 228 

Tai-yuan Shansi University 619 

Peking Law College 658 

Peking Agricultural College 174 

Peking Technical College 268 

Peking Medical College 243 

Wuchang Commercial College 224 

Peking Teachers College 681 

Wuchang Teachers College 262 

Mukden Teachers College 253 

Canton Teachers College 248 

Chengtu Teachers College 388 

Paoting Teachers College 291 

Peking Teachers College for Women 236 

Peking Fine Arts College 180 

Peking College of Physical Education .... 24 

Nanking Southeastern University 647 



676,800 


1918) 


226,041 


I9I8) 


100,000 


,1912) 


101,500 




91,200 


.1915) 


126,360 


I9I2) 


103,000 


I9I3) 


42,168 


,1916) 


367,000 


,1916) 


110,400 


,1916) 


82,000 


,1916) 


65,562 


I9I6) 


100,000 


,1916) 


101,400 


;i9i6) 


143,412 




58,700 




4,800 




601,000 


[1921) 



TABLE II 

Chinese Government Institutions Not Under the Ministry of 

Education 

Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
Peking Ching Hwa College 531 1,116,142.71 

Peking Russian Language and Law School 154 35,000.00 

Harbin School for Russian Commerce 

Under the Ministry of Communication 
Peking Peking University of Communication 
Tangshan Tangshan College of Communication 
Shanghai Shanghai College of Communication 

Under the Salt Bureau 
Peking School of Salt Administration 

Under the Bureau of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs 
Peking Mongolian and Tibetan Language School 35,000.00 

* Practically all of the institutions included in the first five tables maintain middle 
schools or preparatory classes. Attendance on these is not included in the figuves given. 



A Report on Educalioti in China 



35 



TABLE III 
Provincial Institutions of Collegtate Grade 

No. 

Place Name in full Students Budget 

Chihli Law College 312 67,650 

Chihli Agricultural College 40 25,904 

Chihli Industrial College 222 75,388 

Chihli Medical College 102 

Mukden Foreign Language College 129 29,052 

Kirin Law College 93 14,730 

Heilunkiang Law College 117 18,264 

Honan Law College 508 57, 100 

Honan Agricultural College 168 32,734 

Shantung Law College 208 36,009 

Shantung Agricultural College 74 45,808 

Shantung Industrial College 81 50,000 

Shantung Commercial College 76 18,485 

Shansi Law College 164 27,500 

Shansi Agricultural College 176 66,000 

Shansi Commercial College 76 28,620 

Chekiang Law College 194 17, 593 

Chekiang Medical College 255 60,982 

Kiangsu Law College 131 33,250 

Kiangsu Medical College 109 76,967 

Anhwei Law College 88 24,334 

Kiangsi Law College 180 23,008 

Kiangsi Agricultural College 70 18,002 

Hupeh Law College 465 30,084 

Hupeh Foreign Language College 235 22,340 

Hunan Law College 270 16,342 

Hunan Industrial College 281 83,721 

Kwangtung Law College 270 31,337 

Kwangtung Medical College 112 17,028 

Kwangsi Law College 192 7,872 

Szechuen Law College 431 30,847 

Szechuen Agricultural College 72 73,852 

Szechuen Industrial College 50 60,000 

Szechuen Commercial College 319 29,642 

Szechuen Foreign Language College 150 16,000 

Shensi Law College 139 26,736 

Yunan Law College 32 14,325 

Kweichow Law College 281 13,000 

Fukien Law College 168 34,430 

Fukien Industrial College 80 31,865 

Kansu Law College 71 28,800 



36 



The Institute of International Education 



TABLE IV 
Provincial Normal Schools 

Distribution of Normal Schools and the Number of Students 

No. of No. of 

Province Schools Students 

Chihli 7 1,684 

Fengtien 47 3,603 

Kirin il 949 

Heilungkiang 3 509 

Shangtung 2 1,383 

Honan 14 1,451 

Shansi 6 1,254 

Kiangsu 18 2,794 

Anhwei 7 1,026 

Kiangsi 9 1,025 

Fukien 3 425 

Chekiang 12 i,7o8 

Hupeh 5 806 

Hunan 13 2,079 

Shensi 3 535 

Kansu 3 382 

Sinkiang i 49 

Kwangtung 17 1,201 

Yunnan 8 1,239 

189 24,102 



TABLE V 
Private Institutions of Collegiate Grade 

No. 
Place Name in full Students 

Shanghai Futan University 

Peking Chaoyang University 300 

Peking University of China 1.230 

Wuchang Chunghwa University 320 

Peking Central Law College 387 

Chekiang Private Law College 21 

Fukien Private Law College 249 

Canton Private Law College 99 

Chihli Private Law College 155 

Kiangsi Private Law College 123 

Kiangsi Yuchang Law College 254 

Hunan Ta-ts'ai Law College 153 



A Report on Education in China 37 

No. of 
Place Name in full Students 

Hunan Chwen-chi Law College 135 

Hupeh Private Law College 353 

Szechuen Chi-chen Law College 61 

Szechuen In-tu Law College 

Szechuen Min-kiang Law College 119 

Kweichow Private Law College 

Peking Shien-hwa Commercial College 60 

Fengtien Medical College 64 

Kiangsu Nantung Textile College 82 

Shanghai Tungkee Medical and Technical College 482 

Tientsin Nankai University 

\/Amoy Amoy University 

Peking Tong-chai Commercial College 

Peking Peoples University 

Peking Liniversity of Chinese Republic 

TABLE VI 

Institutions of Collegiate Grade Supported by American Canadian 
AND British Protestant Missions 

Peking University. 

Shantung Christian University, (Tsinan). 

Ginling College (Nanking), 

University of Nanking. 

Soochow University. 

Shanghai College. 

St. John's University (Shanghai). 

Hangchow Christian College. 

Fukien Christian University (Foochow). 

Canton Christian College. 

College of Yale in China (Changsha). 

Boone University (Wuchang). 

Wesley College (Wuchang). 

West China Christian University (Chengtu). 

All the above-named institutions offer full senior college courses in 
arts, and most of them also in science. In addition, the following pro- 
fessional schools are in existence: 

Agriculture Peking, Nanking, Canton 

Commerce Nanking, Shanghai 

Dentistry W^est China 

Forestry Nanking 



38 



The Institute of International Education 



Industrial Chemistry Soochow, Shanghai 



Law 

Leather Tanning 

Medicine 

Missionary Training 

Political Science 

Premedical 

Sociology 

Stenography 

Theology 



Soochow 
Peking 

Shantung, St. John's, Yale, West China 
Nanking, Soochow, West China 
St. John's 
Fukien 
Shanghai 
Peking 

Boone, West China, Peking, Shanghai, 
Shantung, St. John's 



TABLE VII 

Total Student Enrollment in Mission College in All Departments 
Above the Middle School 

I. Student Enrollment in All Departments Above Middle School. 





By Grades 




< 

H 
tn 

u 


By Courses or Subjects 


Name of 
College 


S 


d 






1 


1 

26 




s 


•a 
7 


to 
<o 

1 


Peking . . 


129 


123 


21 


273 


167 


192 


21 


27 


Shantung . 


III 


142 




253 


235 


132 


21 


100 










Ginling . . 




60 




60 


54 


60 














Nanking 


157 


78 




235 


144 


121 




6 




100 


8 




Soochow 


98 


97 


3 


198 


89 


171 






27 








Shanghai . 


15 


150 


8 


173 


119 


140 


33 












St. John's . 




237 


2 


239 


93 


214 


5 


20 










Hangchow 


35 


9 




44 


23 


44 














Fukien . . 




117 


2 


119 


100 


113 




6 










Canton . . 




81 




81 


70 


81 














Yale . . . 


57 


57 




114 


83 


72 




42 










Boone . . . 




77 




77 


61 


71 


6 












Wesley . . 


28 


7 




35 


18 


33 




2 










West China 


90 


21 


5 


116 


81 


47 


12 


32 






25 




Total . . 


720 


1256 


41 


2017 


1337 


1491 


98 


234 


27 


IOC 


40 


27 



Note: Several of the institutions use the 4-year American system, without division 
into Junior and Senior College, and their students are all included under 'Senior College." 
A fair result might be obtained by counting one-third of these under 'Junior College," — 
but such is only an estimate. 



A Report on Education in China 



39 



TABLE VIII 

Teaching Staff, Supporting Boards, Annual Income and Equipment 

OF Mission Institutions 
2. Investment of Teachers and Funds (figures include M. S. on same campus) . 



Name of College 


Chinese 
Teacher 


Foi eign 
Teacher 


Cross 
A nntial 
Expenses 
$306,000 


Net 
Annual 
Expenses 


Value 

of 

Equipment 


Peking University 


12 


28 


$152,000 


$245,000 


(ABCFM, LMS, 












MEFB, PN). . 












Shantung Christ. U 


25 


33 


251,000 


136,000 


550,000 


(ABCFxM, BMS. 












LMS,NMS,PCC, 












PN, PS, SPG, 












WMMS) 












Ginling College . 


2 


8 


27,000 


12,000 


21,000 


(ABF, FCMS, 












MEFB, MES, 












PN) 












Univ. of Nanking . 


34 


25 


200,000 


103,000 


434,000 


(ABF, FCMS, 












MEFB, MES, 












PN, PS) . . . 












Soochow University 


18 


10 


101,000 


60,000 


175,000 


(MES) 












Shanghai College. 


16 


20 


164,000 


59,000 


305,000 


(ABF, SBC) 












St. John's Univ. . 


32 


28 


320,000 


120,000 


500,000 


(PE) 












Hangchow Chris. 


9 


10 


50,000 


22,000 


100,000 


Col. (PN, PS) 












Fukien Chris. Univ. 


3 


8 


78,000 


4 1 ,000 


46,000 


(ABCFM, CMS, 












MEFB, RCA) 












Canton Chris. Col. 


25 


33 


370,000 


1 50,000 


500,000 


(Indep.andLMS) 












Col. of Yale in 












China (Indep.) 


5 


25 


108,000 


33,000 


136,000 


Boone University 


24 


12 


112,000 


50,000 


235,000 


(PE) 












Wesley College . 


10 


4 


38,000 


14,000 


30,000 


(WMMS) 












West China Chris. 


14 


21 


198,000 


50,000 


300,000 


Univ. (ABF, 












CMS, FFMA, 












MCC, MEFB) 












Total for 14 Inst. 


229 


265 1 


$2,417,000 


$1,002,000 


$3,577,000 



Notes for this table on following page. 



40 



The Institute of International Education 



Notes: 

1. Part-time teachers are not included in the above. 

2. Yale counts return teachers as foreign teachers. 

3. The majority of the institutions conduct Middle Schools on the same campus, and a 
large part of the investment goes into M. S. Students. 

4. Annual expenses are in Mexican: the Gross column includes missionary salaries; the 
net column excludes missionary salaries. 

5. Equipment is in Cold; if Mexican has been reduced to gold, it has been at the rate of 

2 to I. 



ABCFM American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions 

LMS London Missionary Society 

MEFB Methodist Episcopal Church, North 

PN American Presbyterian Mission, North 

BMS Baptist Missionary Society 

NMS Norwegian Missionary Society 

PCC Presbyterian Church in Canada 

PS American Presbyterian Mission, South 

SPG Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 

WMMS Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society 

ABF American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, North 

FCMS Foreign Christian Missionary Society (Disciples) 

MES Methodist Episcopal Church, South 

SBC Southern Baptist Convention 

PE Protestant Episcopal Church, U. S. A. 

CMS Church Missionary Society 

RCA Reformed Church in America 

FFMA Friends' Foreign Mission Association 

MCC Methodist Church in Canada 



A Report on Education in China 



41 



TABLE IX 
Professional Distribution of Graduates of Mission Institutions 
3. Occupation of Graduates 



Name of 
College 




2 

1 






to 

.a 


1 ^ 

i-i 


i2 ■« 

v5 -^ 




1 

V. 

6 


1 


Peking . . 


513 


87 


154 


15 


40 




31 


24 


40 


122 


Shantung . 


815 


156 


214 




87 




3 


70 


13 


272 


Ginling 


12 




5 


2 






I 




4 




Nanking . 


238 


14 


78 


18 


40 


18 


36 


20 


4 


10 


Soochow . 


113 


4 


54 






4 


15 


36 






Shanghai . 


57 


8 


20 


I 




I 


II 


13 


3 




St. John's. 


420 


16 


45 


31 


9 


II 


25 


283 






Hangchow 


180 


47 


64 


7 






10 


40 


12 




Fukien . . 


15 


I 


8 


2 






2 






2 


Canton 


7 




4 








2 




I 




Yale . . . 


15 


5 


7 








I 


2 






Boone . . 


73 


19 


28 


5 






3 


18 






Wesley . . 






















(No grad.) 






















West China 


16 


4 


3 


I 


4 


I 


3 








Total. . 


2474 


361 


684 


82 


180 


35 


143 


506 


77 


406 



Note: Returns as to graduates offer the greatest variety of figures, due to the following 
causes: 

(a) Many of the institutions began as schools of lower grade, gradually raising to present 
standards. In some cases all who finished the full course at any time in the past are 
counted graduates; in others only those who have been granted degrees under an American 
charter. 

(6) Some institutions reach back half a century or more, others have been so recently 
founded that their full graduates are very few in number. 

(c) In some cases graduates have entered more than one walk of life, and hence have 
seemed hard to classify; in other cases graduates are classified simply as "dead." 

(rf) In some cases records are incomplete or confused. It has been difficult to attain 
anything like complete accuracy in this table. 



Organization of the National 
System of Education in China 
according to the Present and the Proposed Schemes. 



Present Scheme 
1912 



"dOOSTRIAL 



NORMAL 



iPREPtrntlODV) 



(POSI) 
S»OV<T£ 



UNIVERSITY 



PREPtRiTORT 



31 



31 



31 



Proposed Scheme 
1921 



I POST 1 

GRAD- 
UATE 



SECONDARY 



1 



■S 



COURSES 







PREPARATION 
FOB 






VOCATION 




-T- 


PRIMARY 













YEARS OF 
THE COURSE 



PREVIOUS PUBLICATIONS 
1919 
*Announcement of Founding of Institute. 

1920 
Bulletin No. i. First Annual Report of the Director. 
*Bulletin No. 2. For Administrative Authorities of Universities 

and Colleges. 
*Bulletin No. 3. Observations on Higher Education in Europe. 
Opportunities for Higher Education in France. 
Opportunities for Graduate Study in the British Isles. 

192 1 
Bulletin No. i. Second Annual Report of the Director. 
Bulletin No. 2. Opportunities for Higher Education in Italy. 
*Bulletin No. 3. Serial of an International Character. 

(Tentative List for Libraries) 
*Bulletin No. 4. Educational Facilities in the United States for 

South African Students. 
Bulletin No. 5. Guide Book for Foreign Students in the United 

States. 
Bulletin No. 6. See Syllabus No. VII. 

1922 
Bulletin No. i. Third Annual Report of the Director. 
Bulletin No. 2. Notes and News on International Educational 

Affairs. 
Bulletin No. 3. A Bibliography on the United States for Foreign 

Students. 

For the International Relations Clubs 
Syllabus No. I. Outline of the Covenant of the League of Nations. 
Syllabus No. II. The Past, Present and Future of the Monroe Doc- 
trine. 
Syllabus No. III. The History of Russia from Earliest Times. 
Syllabus No. IV. The Russian Revolution. 
Syllabus No. V. The Question of the Balkans. 
Syllabus No. VI. Modern Mexican History. 
Syllabus No. VI I. Hispanic- American History. 
Syllabus No. VIII. The Question of the Near East. 
Syllabus No. IX. China Under the Republic. 
Syllabus No. X. The Baltic States. 

Syllabus No. XI. The Political and Economic Expansion of Japan. 
Syllabus No. XII. Limitation of Armament. 
Syllabus No. XIII. The Economic Situation in Europe. 

♦Out of print. 



ADVISORY COUNCIL 



Addams, Jane 
Alderman, President Edwin 
Ames, Dean Herman V. 
Andrews, Fanny Fern 
Biggs, Dr. Herman 
Blakeslee, Professor G. H. 
Brookings, Robert S. 
Bru^re, Henry 
Bull, Dr. Carroll G. 
Burton, President M. L. 
Byrne, James 

Coolidge, Professor Archibald 
Cravath, Paul D. 
Cunliffe, Professor J. W. 
Davis, Katherine B. 
De Vecchi, P. 

Downer, Professor Charles A. 
Ely, Professor Richard T. 
Filene, A. Lincoln 
Finley, Dr. John H. 
Fosdick, Dr. Harry E. 
Gilbert, Cass 
Gildersleeve, Dean V. C. 
Goodnow, President F. J. 
Hadley, Dr. A. T. 
Hale, Dr. George E. 
Harrington, Governor E. C. 
Hazen, Professor Charles D. 
Hibben, President J. G. 
Howe, Professor Henry M. 
Hughes, Hon. Charles E. 
Jenks, Professor Jeremiah 
Judson, President H. P. 
Keppel, Frederick P. 
Keyser, Professor C. J. 
KorflF, Baron S. A. 
Lovett, President Edgar 
Lowell, President A. L. 



MacCracken, President H. N. 

Main, President J. H. T. 

Mali, Pierre 

Mannes, David 

Marling, Alfred E. 

Meiklejohn, President A. 

Milliken, Professor R. A. 

Moore, Professor E. H. 

Morgan, William Fellowes 

Neilson, President W. A. 

Noyes, Professor Arthur A. 

Payne, President Bruce R. 

Pendleton, President Ellen T. 

Pupin, Professor Michael L 

Putnam, Herbert 

Richardson, Dr. E. C. 

Robinson, Dr. Edward 

Sachs, Professor Julius 

Salmon, Dr. Thomas W. 

Schwedtman, Ferdinand C. 
Severance, Mrs. C. A. 
Shanklin, President W. A. 
Shorey, Professor Paul 
Shotwell, Professor J. T. 
Showerman, Professor Grant 
Stimson, Henry L. 
Stokes, Dr. Anson Phelps 
Storey, Professor Thomas A 
Suzzallo, President Henry 
Thomas, President M. Carey 
Todd, Professor Henry A. 
Townsend, Hon. John G. 
Vincent, Dr. George E. 
Wald, Lillian D. 
White, Professor Henry C. 
Wilkins, Professor Ernest H. 
Wilson, Professor George G. 
Woodbridge, Dean F. J. E. 



WooUey, President Miary E. 



